Faithful Friday: An Adult’s Perspective on the Chronicles of Narnia Book Series
By: Debbie Waltz
C.S. Lewis’s legacy as a beloved Christian author continues to thrive even after his passing in 1963, a testament to his powerful storytelling and enduring impact. Mr. Lewis, who described himself as a reluctant convert, faced numerous obstacles and challenges during his upbringing, profoundly influencing his faith and beliefs. This process began with his mother’s unexpected cancer diagnosis and her eventual death. In spite of the circumstances, the Lord’s pursuit was unwavering – Lewis’ love of fantasy and literature serving was a key to connecting with him. Influenced by the works of authors such as George McDonald and G.K. Chesterton, he developed a more receptive attitude toward the possibility of a divine presence or a cosmos that transcends the limitations of our own perceived reality.
In George McDonald’s Phantastes, a young man finds himself “spirited away” to a fairyland. During his visit, he meets a variety of different characters, including flower fairies, tree spirits, an enchanted white lady, and a knight errant. Despite the strong moral compass evident in his writings, he carefully walks the line separating “right” from “wrong”, deliberately avoiding explicit statements of belief and instead allowing readers the freedom to form their own opinions and interpretations. Although his writings don’t fall under the category of religious texts, they are still regarded as possessing a strong moral compass and conveying important ethical messages. In fact, there are some subtle religious motifs such as hints of baptism, absolution and the Lord’s supper just to name a few.
Similarly, the protagonists from C.S. Lewis’s renowned series find themselves unexpectedly transported to the magical realm of Narnia through the enchantment of an old wardrobe, a pivotal element in the unfolding of their extraordinary adventures. In their very first adventure, they met The Great Aslan, a Lion who, as they would eventually discover, was responsible for the creation of Narnia and everything within it. Throughout the series, Aslan is an indispensable figure in each adventure. He guides the children as they face the challenges of war and acts as their savior whenever they seek his help, proving pivotal to their success.
In “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” the majestic Aslan emerges as a fitting replacement and offers himself as a sacrifice when Edmund, through his own actions, inadvertently surrenders himself to the clutches of the formidable White Witch. This sacrificial act of Aslan serves as a reminder of Jesus and his finished work on the cross. Not only that, but a belief in Him grants us our inheritance. Galatians 4:4-5 reminds us, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
Sadly, we rarely think of our faith as something living and active. But Lewis changes all that.
As John Ryan Duncan puts it in his book, The Magic Never Ends-The Life and Work of CS Lewis, “Most of us in this world are sort of on the bench. We’re not engaged in it. And what Lewis did was to take us off the bench and put us in the other world where we vicariously began to live more actively… Life becomes this exciting thing. Lewis is saying that if we look at our lives, we’d see they are just as enchanted. A cup of tea here is just as enchanted as a cup of tea in Narnia. A tree here is just as enchanted as a tree in Narnia. We’re not not looking at the world anymore like we ought to..”
In reading these stories, I saw things differently. Not only did I see similarities between myself and these characters, but I was able to see my faith differently. The more I read, the more I developed faith in Narnia as well as the physical world. Just as Aslan urges the children to interact and lean on him, God wants the same. The character of Aslan symbolized such spiritual growth – growing bigger throughout the series. One specific example is in the Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian, in which Lucy inquires about Aslan’s growing stature. The conversation is as follows:
“Aslan” said Lucy “you’re bigger”.
“That is because you are older, little one” answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”.
Later in the book, Aslan tells Peter and Susan this will be their last trip into Narnia and that they should focus on finding him in their own world. In subsequent adventures, Aslan issues the same message to Lucy after the voyage on the Dawn treader. Lucy worries that they won’t see him again in their own world. But Aslan reassures them that will not be the case- that they will see him again.
“But you shall be, dear one,” said Aslan.
“Are – are you there too, Sir? said Edmund.
“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for little, you may know me better there..”